Ventilator



Jan. 23, 1923. 1,443,263. 0. A. HOLLIS. v

VENTILATOR. mmn'ma. 1920.

I ol/( 015 Patented J an. 23, 1923.

OTIS A. HOLLIS, OF KNOXVILLE BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENTILATOR.

7 Application filed December 3, 1920. 'serial K 128948.

T 0 all 20 ham it may concern Be it known that I, Orrs A; Hours, acitizen of the United States, and residing in the borough of Knoxville,in the county of invented or discovered the new, useful, and

Improved Ventilator, of which. the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain new and useful improvements inventilators,- and t especially relates to ventilators for use in windowsand other openings and which are characterized by the passage of theentering air throughcheesecloth or other textile material for thepurpose of filtration.

The object which I have in view is: the provision of a ventilator ofthis character which will be inexpensive, yet efficient and durable;which may be quickly installed or removed from the opening without theuse of tools and by inexperienced and unskilled persons, which willpermit the easy removal, washing and replacement of the textile element,and which will maintain the textile element tautly in position to coverthe entire opening and prevent bellying'in response to air-pressure.

For the accomplishment of the foregoing and other purposes, I havedevised a new and improved ventilator of the general type described,comprising alength or piece of textile material of proper dimensions tofit the opening in question, and provided along two of its oppositeedges, preferably the top and bottom edges, with rigid supports, whichmay conveniently be wooden or other members slipped into hems on theedges of the said material. I also provide spring stretchers, preferablymade of resilient wire, which engage said supports on the materialadjacent thereto and hold the said edges of the material snugly againstthe edges of the opening. Said stretchers also serve to prevent bellyingof the material in response to excessive air-pressure, rendering the ventilator wind and storm proof. Said stretchers also aid in holding theventilator in position in the opening.

Other novel features of construction and arrangement of parts willappearfrom the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are however merely intended toillustrate a practical embodiment of the principles of my inventionwithout limiting the scope of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, havetorn, with substantially rigid sup-ports.

straight central portion 10.

the latter to the exact construction shown, Fig. 1 is a broken insideelevation of a win dow with one of my improved ventilators installedunder the lower sash; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the same takenalong the line II II in Fig. 1, andFig; 8 is a broken perspective a ofone of my improved stretchers on a still larger scale.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings. I i

A represents the window frame, and B the lower sash which is partiallyraised to receive the ventilator} C is a piece of textile material suchas stout cheesecloth of proper dimensions, andprovided along two of itsopposed edges, preferably top and bot- In the drawings 1 show saidsupports in the form of wooden strips or sticks '1 and 2, similar to thesticks used in connection with window blinds, inserted in the edge heins3 and 4 of the material C. Said supports are of proper length to holdthe textilematerial extended to fit one dimension, preferably thehorizontal dimension, of the opening. The unsupported edges, in thedrawings the vertical edges, of the material C, are hemmed or otherwisefinishedto pre vent ravelling or tearing, and abut against the adjacentsides of the opening.

At the inner edge of the top hem 3, the material C is provided with aplurality of holes 5, preferably protected byinetal eyelets 6, andalined with each of said holes is a similar hole 7 at the inner edge ofthe lower hem 4, also provided with a metal eyelet 8. i

D represents the spring stretchers, which are preferably made ofresilient wire and provided intermediate of their ends with one or morecompression loops 9. Thus I have shown the members D provided with twoof said loops 9 at either end of the At its upper and lower ends saidstretcher is provided with, preferably V-shape, hooks l1 and 12.respectively, turned at right angles to the plane of the loops 9 andadapted to engage the eyelets 6 and 8, respectively, as shown ofstretchers being required.

during a violent storm.

held snugly against the bottom of the sash B and against the window silloutside of the usual sealing plate or. strip 13.

The upper ends of the stretchers are preferaloly prolonged to form thefingers 1a which bear against the outer face of the sash B, and thuswith the strip 12) positively prevent the inward movement of theventilator under excessive air-pressure.

Sutlicient ot' the stretcher-s D are provided to properly support theventilator in place, the longer the ventilator, the greater number Thusin a ventilator of the relative dimensions shown, I prefer to use threestretchers while two would be sufficient in the case of a narroweropening.

By forming the hooks 11 and 12 at right angles to the loops 9, thelatter are disposed, as shown, in parallelism with the inner face of thematerial C, thus acting as struts to prevent said material from bellyinginwardly during a high wind or storm.

If desired, especially in case of narrow openings, the stretchers may beinstalled horizontally instead of vertically, the supports 1 and 2 beingin such case vertically disposed, or all four edges of the material Cmaybe provided with supports and the stretchers used forbo'th thevertical and the horizontal stretching of the ventilator ma-' Ifdesired, netting or flexible screening may be substltuted for thetextile material. The ventilator can be quickly installed or removed,and the sticks 1 and 2 may be readily slipped from place in the hems, sothat the material can be conveniently washed.

\Vhat I desire to claim is 1. A ventilator of the character describedcomprising a piece of flexible material of proper dimensions to tit theopening to be screened and having two opposed stiilened edges, saidmaterial being provided with openings along its stiffened edges, andresilient stretcher members having their ends offset to engage alinedopenin s at the opposite edges of said material to hold the said edgesin snug engagement with the edges of said opening.

2. A ventilator of the character described comprising a piece offlexible material of proper dimensions to fit the opening to be screenedand having two opposed stiffened edges, said material being providedwith openings along its stiffened edges, and resilient stretcher membershaving their ends offset to engage alined openings at the opposite edgesof said material to hold the said edges in snug engagement with theedges. of said opening, the ends 01 said members being prolonged to bearagainst the surface adjacent to said opening.

3. For use with flexible filtering material forming a ventilating screenfor an opening, a stretcher formed by bending up a length of resilientmaterial to provide an expansion body and end hooks integral with saidexpansion body and adapted to engage said material at its edges andhold' the same snugly against the edges of said opening, the end of saidmember being prolonged to term a bearing against the surface adjacent tosaid opening.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 30th day off Noven'iber, @1920.

. OTIS A. HOLLIS.

